Now that I'm seriously getting into slipjoints, I'm wondering what's the best "bang for the buck" in slippies, something that gives you performance far in excess of it's cost
I'm going to set a budget ceiling of $50, no slippies beyond that point due to the laws of diminishing returns....
my slippie experience so far has been rather limited, basically Case, classic Schrade, Victorinox, Bear, and handling some Bucks at my local knife shop, my collection currently consists of the following;
Victorinox; Swisschamp, Champ, CyberTool 34, Rescue Tool (love those big StayGlow scales!) Minichamp (modified with pen and LED scales from a graphite Signature Lite) and Soldier
Schrade; Junior Stockman I cleaned up and am in the process of learning to freehand sharpen on
Case; CV yellow Trapper, Pocketworn red bone Medium SS Stockman
the Case knives were my most expensive slippies, and the Vics were my least expensive (all but the Rescue Tool and the Soldier were purchased at my local pawnshop, the fullsize SAK's were $20 each, and the Minichamp was $10)
that said, out of my small slippie collection, I think the one that deserves the "most bang for the buck" award is my humble Victorinox Soldier, the fit and finish on that knife is *amazing*, the blade has great walk-and-talk, a sturdy, strong backspring, the blade has a nice, thick spine, and yet it has a thin profile and sharpens up to a blisteringly scary edge, holds that edge for an acceptably long time, and resharpens easily
it also is amazingly durable and resilient, I've had it for at least two years, it rides in my pocket with me every day, banging around with loose change and my keys, yet it still looks *brand new*, there are no rub marks or scratches on the blade or the tools, the scales look brand new, it literally looks like it just came out of the box, yet I use it quite often, as well as snap it open and closed when I'm looking for something to fiddle with
by means of comparison, my Case Stockman is less than three days old, and has already picked up rub marks from the spey blade on the pen blade, and the bolsters have picked up some minor scuffing, and that knife rides in my RR pocket, it basically has the pocket to itself, somewhat annoying for a knife that's almost twice as expensive as the Vic Soldier, the Case Stockman *does* seem to sharpen up a tad sharper than the Vic Soldier though
that said, it really doesn't bother me, these knives are users, they're tools that are meant to be used, I won't baby them, but neither will I abuse them, the Stockman will now be moved to my RF pocket
I think the Victorinox Soldier is one of the best "bang for the buck" slippies out there, you get a slippie with a nice thick spine, yet thin blade profile, making it a very effective slicer, it has great strong backsprings, and a crisp "walk and talk", and the Alox scales shrug off car keys and loose change, the whole knife has a very satisfying weight and balance to it, and the Alox scales give a really secure gripping surface
the Victorinox Soldier really is more than the sum of it's parts, every slippie fan needs at least one in their collection
So, what under $50 slippie do you nominate for "best bang for the buck"?
I'm going to set a budget ceiling of $50, no slippies beyond that point due to the laws of diminishing returns....
my slippie experience so far has been rather limited, basically Case, classic Schrade, Victorinox, Bear, and handling some Bucks at my local knife shop, my collection currently consists of the following;
Victorinox; Swisschamp, Champ, CyberTool 34, Rescue Tool (love those big StayGlow scales!) Minichamp (modified with pen and LED scales from a graphite Signature Lite) and Soldier
Schrade; Junior Stockman I cleaned up and am in the process of learning to freehand sharpen on
Case; CV yellow Trapper, Pocketworn red bone Medium SS Stockman
the Case knives were my most expensive slippies, and the Vics were my least expensive (all but the Rescue Tool and the Soldier were purchased at my local pawnshop, the fullsize SAK's were $20 each, and the Minichamp was $10)
that said, out of my small slippie collection, I think the one that deserves the "most bang for the buck" award is my humble Victorinox Soldier, the fit and finish on that knife is *amazing*, the blade has great walk-and-talk, a sturdy, strong backspring, the blade has a nice, thick spine, and yet it has a thin profile and sharpens up to a blisteringly scary edge, holds that edge for an acceptably long time, and resharpens easily
it also is amazingly durable and resilient, I've had it for at least two years, it rides in my pocket with me every day, banging around with loose change and my keys, yet it still looks *brand new*, there are no rub marks or scratches on the blade or the tools, the scales look brand new, it literally looks like it just came out of the box, yet I use it quite often, as well as snap it open and closed when I'm looking for something to fiddle with
by means of comparison, my Case Stockman is less than three days old, and has already picked up rub marks from the spey blade on the pen blade, and the bolsters have picked up some minor scuffing, and that knife rides in my RR pocket, it basically has the pocket to itself, somewhat annoying for a knife that's almost twice as expensive as the Vic Soldier, the Case Stockman *does* seem to sharpen up a tad sharper than the Vic Soldier though
that said, it really doesn't bother me, these knives are users, they're tools that are meant to be used, I won't baby them, but neither will I abuse them, the Stockman will now be moved to my RF pocket
I think the Victorinox Soldier is one of the best "bang for the buck" slippies out there, you get a slippie with a nice thick spine, yet thin blade profile, making it a very effective slicer, it has great strong backsprings, and a crisp "walk and talk", and the Alox scales shrug off car keys and loose change, the whole knife has a very satisfying weight and balance to it, and the Alox scales give a really secure gripping surface
the Victorinox Soldier really is more than the sum of it's parts, every slippie fan needs at least one in their collection
So, what under $50 slippie do you nominate for "best bang for the buck"?
